Articles/News - School Bus Safety

The agency thanks drivers for their commitment to safely transporting children to and from school to commemorate “School Bus Driver Day" on Tuesday. Those who benefit from bus drivers’ services are also encouraged to express their gratitude.

To bring down the number of accidents with children around school buses, four organizations teamed up to provide the safety training program at no charge to school districts nationwide. The offer still stands.

Two New Jersey brothers each get more than 20 years in prison for carjacking a vehicle and shooting at two people. Shots aimed at the vehicle of a witness hit a school bus, but none of the students on board was injured.

A Florida school district, noting a recent increase in stop-arm running, teams up with the local police department to target key areas in a week-long crackdown. The county’s fine for illegally passing a stopped school bus is $268.

On Thursday, police officers statewide will ride on bus routes and issue tickets to drivers who illegally pass school buses. Regional and state pupil transportation associations have partnered to mark the day by holding a press conference to educate drivers about the importance of stopping for buses.

Keeping weapons off of a school bus or defusing the situation if they are brought on board requires ensuring that drivers are in tune with the students they transport, offering a comprehensive training program, and establishing specific policies and procedures for drivers to follow.

An 18-year-old is charged in the Friday incident, in which four Virginia students were held up at gunpoint while waiting for their school bus. No one was injured in the robbery, but the culprit made off with a gold chain.

The state directors association cites numerous concerns with the magazine’s brief article. One is the title: “Are School Buses Unsafe?” The piece also failed to distinguish between lap belts and lap-shoulder belts.

An increase in pitch while speaking, repetition and inappropriate humor are several signs of impending dangerous behavior. Stepping in when they are heard can help to prevent students from harming others.

The state will receive $561,000 from the Indian School Bus Route program to improve roads that serve as school bus routes in this part of the Navajo Nation. The program expired last year, but a U.S. senator drafted legislation that would renew it and provide $12 million for counties in Navajo Nation over the next six years.

During DATTCO's expo in April, industry officials and others will focus on an overview of safety data, seat belt options, usage statistics, compliance and enforcement issues, costs and trends in legislation.

In the two-hour presentation, attendees learn what can be done prior to an emergency, what to expect from emergency responders, and what they can do to help emergency responders and start preparing for the "never-happen-to-us" emergency.

District attorney says Pennsylvania school bus driver was driving “in an extremely reckless manner” when his bus struck a car, killing the passenger. The driver was also reportedly responsible for a non-bus related fatal crash in 1999. Watch footage from the February incident here.

According to early projections from the U.S. DOT, last year's fatality rate, which takes into account the number of miles traveled, reached the lowest level ever recorded. Still, officials say more must be done to reduce distracted and impaired driving.

Robert Harding, a former Army intelligence official, will head the Transportation Security Administration if confirmed by the Senate. In other news, the agency’s long-awaited school bus security assessment has reportedly been sent to Congress.

Along with tracking equipment, a system by Volpe Industries Inc. includes cameras and a mini computer. A Massachusetts district may test the system, which has the ability to monitor buses, provide a view of the interior of buses, record all activity on board, track students with facial recognition and provide profile information for bus drivers.

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